What can you do with an old satellite dish that’s been
sitting on the roof of the school for about 15 years? Cook hot dogs ! (or marshmallows).
It started out as Jack’s homeroom’s project, but then Heather’s middle level and junior high science students got interested and involved. All it took was lining the dish with strips of mylar and positioning it correctly. The focused light made heat intense enough to make a plume of pampas grass burst into flames or a hot dog or marshmallow get cooked to perfection.
One thing led to another, as it tends to do in Heather’s science classes. Heather then got out a box of magnifying glasses, which also led to some pyrotechnics. Students spent the afternoon on the basketball court figuring out,
“How do the satellite dish and the magnifying glasses do that?
